I wanted to highlight an article from late last month that did a great job pointing out and examining the issues around integrating maps and information. In “Way to go? Mapping looks to be the web’s next big thing,” Richard Waters of the Financial Times had a number of excellent points, interesting interview tid bits, and commentary.
Highlights for me included:
- Adding personal data to maps creates a unique new view of the world. He quoted Anssi Vanjoki of Nokia, who said, “We can locate our experiences, our history, on the map. It’s a very concrete expression of a context.” Waters use a cave drawing analogy to illustrate the point that the combination of location and information — that is, the valley where the deer is — has been a constant human creation.
- There’s an “arms race” in adding information to maps. He mentioned Microsoft and Google attempting to create super detailed virtual planet Earths that offer much more than traditional maps because of the ability to link locations to personal, business, political, news, and other information. Waters also notes that with so many companies going after the same market opportunity, there is a lot of money being invested. Obviously, that means there will be big winners and losers.
- Maps overlayed with information may become a new UI paradigm. While desktops and Web-based search boxes are well known to users, some think an interactive map will be the new interface for Web surfers in many instances. As he quoted John Hanke of Google: “Geography is another way, a different way, to organise information … As human beings, we inherently understand geography.”
Even more cool changes on the horizon, but what does it mean for the smell of flowers?
I’m excited by the article because I believe that:
- Mapping is the Web’s next “big thing.” It’s surprising that the technology analyst firms don’t seem to buy into this view, but it’s definitely coming. Consumers are already relying on maps for their activities. For example, who doesn’t go to an online service to find out the directions to a kid’s out-of-town sports game? Adding mapping to CRM systems to plot out sales calls, lunch meetings, and the best hotel locations in a new city has changed how many business people do their job when going on the road.
- Geography or geospatial applications are almost ubiquitous already and will become more common. Look at what is already available to consumers — free online maps with driving directions and satellite image overlays and cell phones with GPS capability and links to local content. And there are many more services and gadgets on the way. Hey, it is nice to know I won’t have to pull over and ask for directions anymore or wonder what is in my neighbors back yard (thanks to satellite images).
- The Geoweb is a great concept for making sure all the geographic-relevant content on the Web is related to maps. With people relying more on information in maps, we need a new way for consumers, analysts, vendors and everyone else to help describe the new paradigm. The Geowb term lets us cut to the chase and keeps us on the same page, all while telling us just how important this shift is.
It is interesting to think about what it means to have a high-definition, virtual Earth seamlessly hooked into information — information created by people as well as automatically generated by database, sensors, and other gadgets (for example, traffic cameras, seismic sensors, etc.). Is this hyper data-infused digital world a good or bad thing? The digital world will certainly be nice in that it will be devoid of crime and pollution, but it also won’t offer the feel of the wind when outdoors or the smell of fresh flowers. With people already immersed in their own digital worlds, like the millions playing World of Warcraft or those playing virtual sports using their Wii, it’s not too far out to think that more and more people will get lost in these increasingly detailed and content-rich places.
It does seem very compelling –- experience the world without having to leave your desk! But I hope that that we don’t get too immersed too soon or too often. I love maps and virtual planets chock full of content, but experiencing places, getting lost, and eventually finding our way is in part what makes us human. It’s nice to visit a digtial copy of reality every now and then, but at the end of the day, I like my home the way it is, in the place it is supposed to be — the real world.
